Hauling apparatus

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses a foldable hauling apparatus which can be used on either hard ground or soft ground and which is self-anchoring, requiring no rigid structure to which it must be attached. Also disclosed is a winch mechanism for this hauling apparatus, which mechanism not only allows for wire to be hauled in, thus hauling the load towards the apparatus, but also provides for the wire to be paid out under tension; the speed at which the wire is paid out being dependent on the speed at which an operator operates the mechanism.

United States Patent lnventor George S. Webster Rhyl, North Wales July17, 1969 Aug. 24, 1971 Samuel Lewis (Winches) Limited Netherton, Dudly,England July 17, 1968 Great Britain Appl. No. Filed Patented AssigneePriority HAULING APPARATUS 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

lnl.Cl. E21c 29/16 Field of Search 254/186, 190, 145, 134.3, 147, 150;74/142 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1902 Dutton 2,745,2905/1956 Klein etal 74/142 3,072,382 1/1963 Jones 254/1343 3,224,73512/1965 Linde 254/186 3,361,411 1/1968 Reigh 254/147 FOREIGN PATENTS675,457 4/1939 Germany 254/147 142,745 5/1960 U S.S.R. 254/190 PrimaryExaminer-Harvey C. Hornsby Assistant Examiner-Merle F. MatfeiAttorney-Sughrue, Rothwell, Mion, Zinn & MacPeak ABSTRACT: The presentinvention discloses a foldable hauling apparatus which can be used oneither hard ground or soft ground and which is self-anchoring, requiringno rigid structure to which it must be attached. Also disclosed is awinch mechanism for this hauling apparatus, which mechanism not onlyallows for wire to be hauled in, thus hauling the load towards theapparatus, but also provides for the wire to be paid out under tension;the speed at which the wire is paid out being dependent on the speed atwhich an operator operates the mechanism.

PATENTED AUBZAIS?! I 3.601366.

sum 3 BF 4 HAULING APPARATUS The present invention relates to haulingapparatus for use in the hauling of vehicles, boats or the like out ofdifficult situations, such as, for example, hauling a vehicle out of asnow drift or a caravan from a muddy locality; or for hauling heavymachinery from or to wherever required.

According to the present invention there is provided a collapsiblehauling apparatus for hauling vehicles, boats, machincry and the like,and comprising a winch housing with a winch mechanism mounted therein, aterrain member extending outwardly from the housing so as to be inclineddownwardly to the horizontal when the apparatus is in use, and anelongated wire guiding member and an elongated steadying member whichextend from the housing on opposite sides of the position at which theterrain gripping member is connected thereto. The wire guiding memberand the steadying member are each pivotally connected to the housing andare capable of being swung between respective operative positions inwhich the wire guiding member extends generally horizontally and thesteadying member extends to engage the terrain on which the winch issupported, and respective inoperative positions in which these twomembers extend in superimposed parallel relationship with the terraingripping member disposed therebetween.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention the terraingripping member will be adapted to slide onto an outwardly projectingextension of the housing and be locked at various positians along thelength of the extension to give varying lengths of effective terraingripping member beneath said housing. When the winch is to be used onsoft terrain (e.g. muddy ground) a delta-shaped terrain gripping memberwill preferably be used, which digs right into the ground. However, whenthe winch is used on hard terrain (e.g. concrete) a terrain grippingmember will preferably be used which has an outer edge'substantially atright angles to the longitudinal axis of the extension, from which edgeextends at least two teeth parallel to said longitudinal axis, the teethengaging in any crack or crevice in the hard terrain.

When the apparatus is erected, the steadying member will extendrearwardly of the housing with its free end resting on the ground soaiding the stabilizing of the winch prior to the tensioning of the winchwire. Also, when the terrain gripping member has dug into or gripped theground, an operator may stand on the steadying member, thus aiding thestabilization and grip of the winch. The terrain gripping member, thewire guiding member, the steadying arm and the housing when foldedtogether into a compacted structure provide for the easy transportationof the hauling apparatus when it is not in use.

The compacted form of winch may be arranged in a location where it is tobe used, and the various members may be released from the compactedarrangement.

The wire-guiding member may then be pivoted about the housing and lockedinto one of several available positions, all the possible positionscausing the wire guiding member to be at an acute angle to the extensionfor supporting the terrain gripping member. The position chosen willcause the tensioned wire to engage around a pulley at the free end ofthe wire guiding member, and so cause the tensioned wire to follow apath which is not a straight line from the winch mechanism to the pointof attachment of the wire to the load. The steadying arm may then bepivoted about the housing and locked in one of several available lockingpositions, all the positions causing the steadying arm to be at anobtuse angle to the extension for supporting the terrain-grippingmember.

If the winch is to be used on soft ground, such as for example, a muddyfield, the delta-shaped terrain gripping member will be slid onto andlocked to the extension of the housing in the maximum extendedposition,so that the terrain gripping member may be able to dig deeply into thesoft ground to obtain sufficient grip to haul the particular load inquestion. The

I wire guiding member will be locked in the pivotal position relative tothe housing, which provides the largest available acute angle betweenthe wire guiding member and the extension on .the housing, and thesteadying arm will be pivoted and locked to the housing in a positionwhich provides the largest available obtuse angle between the steadyingarm and the housing. The free end of the winch wire may then attached tothe load, and the winch mechanism may be actuated to an operativeposition. Then, by backward and forward movement of a winch armconnected to the winch mechanism, the wire maybe tensioned. As the wireis tensioned the delta-shaped terrain gripping member will dig into thesoft ground until it attains sufficient grip to haul the particularload.

- If the winch is to be used on hard ground such as, for example, aconcrete floor, then the wire guiding member will be locked into aposition which provides the smallest available acute angle between thewire guiding member and the extension of the housing, and the steadyingarm will be pivoted about the housing to a relative position where itcan be locked to the housing, to give the smallest available obtuseangle between the extension of the housing and the steadying arm. Theterrain gripping member having the at least two projecting teeth, maythen be slid onto and locked to the extension. The teeth projecting fromthe outer edge of the terrain gripping member may then be engaged into asmall crack, or behind a small projection on the concrete floor, to thusprovide the grip for the winch to be operated. The rearward end of thesteadying arm will rest on the floor stabilizing the winch before thewire is attached to the load and tensioned. Assuming that the wire isattached to the load, the winch mechanism may be actuated to anoperative position and the winch arm moved backwards and forwards, sowinding in the wire and thus hauling the load towards the winch. Whilstthe wire is under tension, the teeth and outer edge of the terraingripping member will grip into the crack or behind the projection on theconcrete floor, and the wire guiding member will press downwards on topof the tensioned wire.

The present invention will now be further described, by way of examplewith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention in its compacted state ready for transportation or use,

FIG. 2 illustrates the preferred embodiment of the winch in an openedout and operative position on soft terrain,

FIG. 3 shows the preferred embodiment of the winch in an opened out andoperative position on hard terrain, and

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the winch mechanism.

In FIG. 1, there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the haulingapparatus in a compacted state ready for transportation to any placewhere it is to be used. The housing 1 of the apparatus is in the form oftwo substantially parallel polygonal-sided sideplates (1a, 1b), whichare rigidly held together and between which is mounted a winch mechanism7. Two shapes of terrain gripping member 2 are provided and in thecompacted state illustrated both are supported on the extension 3 of thehousing 1. One terrain-gripping member 2A is delta shaped and suitablefor use on soft ground where it is required to dig a long way into theground to obtain sufficient grip to haul a load. The other shape ofterrain gripping member 28 has a square outer edge with two grippingteeth 8 extending therefrom; and is suitable for use on hard terrain(e.g. a concrete floor) where the teeth 8 engage in a crack or creviceto obtain the necessary grip for the winch. In the compacted form of theapparatus, both shapes of terrain gripping member (2A, 2B) are slid ontothe extension 3 of the housing I, one (28) over the outside of theextension, the other (2A) having a support strut 2C which slides insidethe extension 3.

The wire guiding member 9 is in the form of an elongated structure andis bifurcated at one end into two parts 10, each of the parts 10 beingpivotally connected to a side plate (la, 1b) of the housing 1, on anaxle 6. At the other end of the elongated wire guiding member is a twopulley arrangement 20. This pulley arrangement comprises a pulleyhousing 21 in which are arranged two pulley wheels 24 and 25 mounted onparallel axles 22 and 23 respectively. The axles 22 and 23 are so spacedas to allow the winch wire A to pass between the pulley wheels, and thepulley housing 21 itself is pivotally mounted at the outer end of thewire guiding member 9 on extensions of axle 22. A handle 12 is providedon the wire guiding member for carrying the compacted apparatus.

A steadying member 13 of generally U-shaped cross section is alsoprovided, the steadying member being bifurcated at one end into twoparts 11, the parts 11 being pivotally attached to the sideplates (la,lb) of the housing 1, on an axle 14. An extension 15 is telescopedwithin the steadying member 13 so that the effective length of thesteadying member 13 can be increased by sliding the extension 15 outfrom the steadying member (FIGS. 2 and 3).

In the compacted state illustrated in FIG. 1, the wire guiding member 9and the steadying member 13 are pivoted about their respective axles 6and 14 in the housing 1, to engage on either side of the two terraingripping members (2A, 2B) supported on the extension 3 of the housing 1.Locking pins 16 and 17 hold the various members in this compactedposition by pin 16 passing through holes in the wire guiding member 9and a hole in the terrain gripping member 2A, and pin 17 passing throughholes in the steadying member 13 and another hole in terrain grippingmember 2A; the pins 16 and 17 being held in position by spring clips18a.

The winch mechanism 7 can be manually operated by the forward andbackward movement of the winch arm 18. The winch arm 18 is comparativelyshort so as to allow for the compacted state of the winch illustrated inFIG. 1. To provide extra leverage to the winch mechanism a tubular wincharrn extension (not shown) is placed over the winch arm 18. This wincharm extension can be housed within the steadying arm 13 when the winchis in a compacted state.

When the winch is to be used it may be moved in its compacted formillustrated in FIG. 1 to a suitable place adjacent the load to behauled. The winch is then set up in a position such as illustrated inFIG. 2 or 3 of the drawings, To reach the position illustrated in FIG. 2or 3 from the compacted state illustrated in FIG. 1 the steadying arm 13is first released by the removal of the pin 17. The steadying member 13is then pivoted about its axle 14 to a position where it extendsrearwardly of the housing 1. By means of pin 17 the steadying arm 13 islocked in one of two such positions, both these positions providing anobtuse angle between the steadying member 13 and the extension 3 of thehousing 1. Likewise the pin 16 is removed to allow the wire-guidingmember 9 to be rotated about the axle 6 on the housing 1. The wireguiding member 9 is thus rotated about the axle 6 until it occupies theposition shown in FIG. 2 or 3. The wire guiding member 9 is then lockedto the housing 1 in one of three positions by the pin 16 engagingthrough one of three holes 26 in the wire guiding member 9 and through ahole (not shown) at the free end ofa spacer support strut 19 which hasits other end pivotally attached to the extension 3 of the housing 1.The wire guiding member 9 is locked to the housing 1 in such a positionthat the winch wire A, when tensioned, is prevented from following astraight path directly from the winch mechanism 7 to the point ofattachment on the load to be hauled, by having to pass around the pulley25. Such a position is obtained by the spacer support strut 19 being ofsuch a length that the angle between the extension 3 of the housing 1and the wire guiding member 9 is acute. After attaching the wire to theload, the winch arm extension is then placed on the winch arm 18 and thewinch mechanism 7 actuated to an operative position, whence the backwardand forward movement of the winch arm extension causes the wire to bewound in and tensioned.

In very soft ground where the delta-shaped terrain gripping member 2A isused in order to obtain maximum grip for the hauling apparatus, the wireguiding member 9, is locked by means of pin 16 in the positionillustrated in FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings, with the largestavailable acute angle between the wire guiding member 9 and theextension 3 of the housing 1. This position is attained by passing pin16 through hole 26a in the wire guiding member 9 and the hole (notshown) at the free end of the spacer support strut 19. The steadyingmember 13 is locked in a position giving the largest available obtuseangle between the steadying member 13 and the extension 3. The steadyingmember extension 15 is then slid out of member 13 until it contacts theground, to thus support the apparatus together with the terrain grippingmember 2A, before the wire is tensioned. When the wire is tensioned, theterrain gripping member 2A, will dig into the ground until sufficientgrip is attained to haul the load. Sometimes, on very soft ground, thehousing 1 and the wire guiding member 9 will be substantially submergedwithin the terrain, and then the operator can stand on the steadyingmember 13 to prevent himself from sinking into the ground, A cross piece(not shown) can be slid through a hole in the end of extension 15 tothus provide a projection on which an operator may stand. The wireguiding member 9 in the aforementioned position is just angleddownwards, so that the necessary downward pressure is exerted on thewinch wire A to create the aforementioned equilibrium condition, whenthe apparatus locks in position. If the ground is only moderately soft,so that the terrain gripping member 2A only becomes partially submergedin the ground before attaining sufficient grip to haul the load, thenthe wire guiding member 9 may not be angled down far enough to producethe necessary downward pressure on the winch wire. In such a case, theangle between the wire guiding member 9 and the extension 3 of housing 1will have to be reduced by using one of the other holes 26 in the wireguiding member 9, for the attachment of the free end of the spacersupport strut 19.

If the winch is to be used on hard ground, such as a concrete floor orthe like, the apparatus is arranged in the position as illustrated inFIG. 3. The terrain-gripping member 2B is used since only the twogripping teeth 8 are going to grip into a crack or fissure in theconcrete floor. The position in which the wire guiding member 9 is to belocked to the housing 1 is again chosen so that the tensioned wire doesnot follow a straight path from the winch mechanism to the point ofattachment of the wire to the load; the position being adjusted by theinsertion of the pin 16 in any one of the series of holes 26 and the onehole (not shown) in the free end of the spacer support strut 19. Thus,as the winch arm extension 19 is moved backwards and forwards the wireis tensioned and tries to lift the wire guiding member and drag theteeth 8 of the terrain-gripping member 28 out from the crack in whichthey are engaged. However, the ground tries to retain the teeth 8 andthis thus causes a downward movement of the wire guiding member 9, thepulley 25 pressing downwards on the tensioned wire. The steadying member13 will thus be lifted out of contact with the ground, and as soon asthe aforementioned equilibrium condition is attained the apparatus as awhole locks in a position and cannot be moved. Then by subsequentmovement of the winch arm extension backwards and forwards, the wire istensioned further and the load is hauled towards the winch. Since thewire guiding member 9 is held in position by the tensioned wire passingbetween the pulley wheels 24 and 25, the housing 1 and the apparatus asa whole will not move as the tension in the wire is increased.

The preferred embodiment of the hauling apparatus illustrated in thedrawings also incorporates a winch mechanism 7 which is schematicallyillustrated in FIG. 4. This winch mechanism allows for the wire to behauled in, thus hauling the load towards the apparatus, and also allowsfor the wire to be paid out whilst still under tension. The winchmechanism 7 has a drum 29 (shown in dotted lines) around which the wireA is wound. This drum 29 has a ratchet wheel 30 at each of its ends; theratchet wheels 30 and drum 29 being rotatably mounted on axle 14 whichis fixed to the sideplates la and 1b of the housing 1. The section ofthe winch arm 18 in the region of the drum 29 is formed in an invertedU-shape, the side pieces 31 of the U-shape being pivotably mounted on anaxle a extending between the sideplates 1a and 1b of the housing 1.Between the two side portions 31 of the inverted U-shape is pivotablyarranged a hauling pawl 36; this hauling pawl 36 being spring biasedinto engagement with the ratchet wheels 30 by means of spring 36afixedly attached at one end to the crosspiece 32.

A locking or tensioning pawl 39 is pivotably mounted on an axle 40supported between the housing sidewalls la and 1b. This tension pawl 39is so arranged as to also engage the teeth of both the ratchet wheels30. The tension pawl 39, like the hauling pawl 36 is spring biased intoengagement with the ratchet wheels 30, this being effected by means of aspring 39a fixedly mounted at one of its ends to an axle extendingbetween the side plates la and lb of the housing 1.

A time delay actuating arm 41 is pivotally mounted on axle 30a betweenthe side pieces 31 of winch arm 18. This actuating arm 41 is bent aboutthe region of the axle 30a having an upper section 42 and a lowersection 43. The end of the lower section 43 has two pawl engagingprojections 44 and 45 attached thereto, which projections extend atright angles to the axis of axle 30a; whilst the end of the uppersection 42 is pivotally attached to a connecting rod 46 which forms partof a time delay member 33. The time delay member 33 is composed of twocylinders 47 and 48, cylinder 47 being coaxially arranged withincylinder 48. In the annular space between the two cylinders47 and 48 isa spring 49, which spring biases the two cylinders to the position onewithin the other. The lower part of the inner cylinder 47 extendsoutside cylinder 48 and has a disc like flange of a diameterapproximately equivalent to the outer diameter of cylinder 48. Thisflange 50 together with cylinder 47 can be moved against spring 49 toprovide a space between the flange 50 and the base 51 of cylinder 48.The winch arm 18 had a radially outwardly directed projection 52 whichhas a U-shaped recess (not shown) and the time delay member 33 isclipped onto the projecti'on 52 when the time delay member 33 isoperating. When clipped to the winch arm 18 the projection 52 engagesbetween the flange 50 and the base 51 of the cylinder 48 and the timedelay member is held in this position by the tension in spring 49.

The inner cylinder 47 has a bore slightly larger than the diameter ofthe connecting rod 46 which passes therethrough,

except for one region 53 where the diameter of the bore cylinder 47 isdecreased. Above the reduced diameter region 53 and between theconnecting rod 46 and the inside surface of cylinder 47, is arranged afirst time delay spring 34 which is held on the connecting rod 46 by anut 54. Below the reduced diameter region 53 and extending to thepivoted end of connecting rod 46 is a second time delay spring 35.

When the hauling apparatus is in normal operation and the wire is beingwound around the drum 29 and the load hauled towards the winch, the timedelay member 33 is in a nonoperating position, unclipped from theprojection 52 and clipped to a wall 55 of the housing 1. Thus the wincharm can be moved backwards and forwards without affecting the actuatingarm 41. During this backwards and forwards motion of the winch arm 18,the hauling pawl 36 engages the teeth of the ratchet wheels 30 andtension pawl 39 also engages said ratchet wheel teeth. By movement ofthe winch arm 18 in the direction X the hauling pawl 36 runs back overthe teeth of the ratchet wheels 30; the tension pawl 39 engaging behindone of the teeth of both of the said ratchet wheels 30 thus taking thestrain of the wire and preventing the load which is being hauled fromslipping. When the winch arm 18 has attained its maximum forwardposition in the direction X, the winch arm 18 may be pulled backwards inthe direction Y. The pawl 36 thus engages behind one of the teeth ofboth of the said ratchet wheels 30, and by pulling the winch arm 18 inthe direction y the ratchet wheel is rotated in an anticlockwisedirection (as viewed in FIG. 4) and the wire A is wound around the drum29 thus hauling the load towards the winch.

During this hauling movement the pawl 39 passes freely over the teeth ofthe said ratchet wheels 30. Thus, by the movement of the winch arm 18 inthe directions X and Y, the wire is hauled in and wound around the drum29.

If, for example, a load is being hauled up an incline and the wire A isunder tension, the winch mechanism 7, described above, can be actuatedso as to release the tension slowly, thus paying out the wire whilst itis still under tension. To eflect this operation the time delay member33 is unclipped from its inoperative position on the wall 55 of thehousing 1, and cylinders 47 and 48 are moved relatively to each otheragainst spring 49 and the time member is clipped onto projection 52 onthe winch arm 18. Let us say, for example, that the winch arm 18 hasjust been moved in the 'Y-direction and has therefore just completed ahauling-in operation, the pawl 36 still holding all the load whilst thetension pawl 39 is just engaging behind a tooth on each of said ratchetwheels so as to be ready to take the load, if and when the winch arm 18is released by the operator. Let tension pawl 39 take the load and leavewinch arm 18 in its last position. Now, time delay member 33 is clippedto projection 52 on winch arm 18, thus as winch arm 18 moves about axle30a, so actuating arm 41 moves about axle 30a. The winch arm 18, is thenmoved further in the Y- direction causing actuating arm 41 to pivotanticlockwise, causing pawl engaging projection 45 to engage in a recess56 (shown in dotted lines) in the tension pawl 39. The winch arm 18 ismoved still further in the Y-direction until hauling pawl 36 againcontacts a tooth on each ratchet wheel 30. During this movement in theY-direction the projection 45 will try to lift tension pawl 39 out ofengagement with the ratchet wheel teeth. However, this pawl 39 is atpresent holding the strain of the load and cannot be moved, thus timedelay spring 34 is compressed within cylinder 47. When hauling pawl 36,takes the load and moves the ratchet wheels 30 and drum 29 slightlyfurther anticlockwise, the compression in spring 34 is released causingprojection 45 to lift tension pawl 39 clear of the ratchet wheels 30.This is the effective position illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings.

At this point the hauling pawl 36 is holding all the tension in the wireA and a movement of the winch arm 18 in the direction X will cause drum29 to effect a clockwise motion (as viewed in FIG. 4); thus unwindingthe wire from around the drum 29 and the motion being entirelycontrolled by the operator holding the winch arm 18. As the Winch arm 18is moved in the X-direction the actuating arm 41 pivots clockwise aboutaxle 30a. When the winch arm 18 has reached a certain forward positionin the X-direction, pawl engaging projection 44 engages the underside ofhauling pawl 36 whilst projection 45 releases the tension pawl 39 andallows it to return to engagement with the ratchet wheels 30 under theaction of spring 39a. Further movement of the winch arm 18 in theX-direction causes projection 44 to try and lift hauling pawl 36 out ofengagement with the ratchet teeth, but the hauling pawl is held inengagement with the ratchet teeth as it is still supporting the load.Thus, during this further movement in the X-direction of the winch arm,the time delay spring 35 is compressed. A forward position of the wincharm is reached when tension pawl 39 engages behind a tooth on eachratchet wheel 30 and takes the strain off the hauling pawl 36. At thispoint, hauling pawl 36 is lifted clear of the ratchet wheels 30 byprojection 44 moving due to the movement of actuating arm 41 about axle30a to release the compression of spring 35.

The winch arm 18 is then moved back in the Y-direction projection 44keeping the hauling pawl 36 clear of the ratchet wheels 30. A positionis then reached where actuating arm 41 has again pivoted in ananticlockwise direction about axle 30a, and projection 45 has contactedthe recess 56 in tension pawl 39, projection 44 releasing hauling pawl36 and allowing it to again engage the ratchet wheel teeth. Furthermovement of winch arm 18 in the Y-direction results in ,hauling pawl 36again taking the load off tension pawl 39; the above mentioned actionresulting again to allow the wire to be again paid out whilst stillunder tension. This forward and backward motion of the winch arm 18 maybe continually repeated, so paying out all the wire A .whilst the loadstill holds the wire under tension, i.e., for. e xample letting a loaddown a slope.

By placing time delay member 33 in the position illustrated in FIG. 4 ofthe accompanying drawings, with tension pawl 39 held clear of theratchet wheels 30, the wire can be freely unrolled from the drum 29after additionally raising the hauling pawl 36 out of engagement withthe ratchet wheels, and hooking the L-shaped extension 57 of the haulingpawl, onto the wall 58 of the housing 1.

The present invention thus provides for a hauling apparatus which can beused on either hard ground or soft ground and which is self-anchoring,requiring no rigid structure to which it must be attached. The presentinvention also provides for a winch mechanism which not only allows forthe wire to be hauled in, thus hauling the load towards the haulingapparatus, but provides for the wire to be paid out under tension; thespeed at which the wire is paid out being dependent on the speed atwhich the winch arm 18 is moved forwards and backwards.

lclaim:

l. Hauling apparatus, for use in the hauling vehicles, boats, machinesand the like, comprising:

a. a winch housing,

b. a winch mechanism mounted in said winch housing and including alength of haulage wire connectable to an article to be hauled,

c. a terrain-gripping member extending outwardly from said winch housingso as to be inclined downwardly to the horizontal when the apparatus isin use,

d. an elongated guiding member for said haulage wire and having anoperative position in which it extends from said winch housing on oneside of the terrain-gripping member so as to be capable of beingarranged generally horizontally,

e. an elongated steadying member having an operative position in whichit extends from said winch housing on the side thereof remote from thatfrom which said wire guiding member extends so as to be cngageable withthe terrain on which the apparatus is supported when in use, and

f. respective pivotal connecting means whereby said wire guiding memberand said steadying member are each pivotally connected to said winchhousing on respective sides of the position at which said terraingripping member is connected to said winch housing and said wire guidingmember and said steadying member are swung relative to said winchhousing between said respective operative positions and respectiveinoperative positions in which said members extend in superimposedparallel relationship with said terrain gripping member disposedtherebetween.

2. Hauling apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said winch housingincludes an extension with which said terrain gripping member isreleasably assembled, means being provided for locking saidterrain-gripping member in any of a plurality of positions along thelength of said extension.

3. Hauling apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said terrain grippingmember is of delta shape for penetrating soft ground.

4. Hauling apparatus as claimed in claim 3 including a furtherterrain-gripping member affording teeth for gripping hard terrain, bothof said terrain gripping members being capable of assemblysimultaneously with said extension so that when said wire guiding memberand said steadying member are each in their inoperative position both ofsaid terrain gripping members can be disposed therebetween.

5. Hauling apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said wire-guidingmember comprises:

a. an elongated arm carried by one of said pivotal connecting means,

b. a pulley housing disposed at an end of said arm remote from saidwinch housing,

c. two axles mounted in said pulley housing substantially parallel toeach other, one of said axles also pivotally supporting said pulleyhousing from said arm, and

d. respective pulley wheels rotatably supported by said axles.

1. Hauling apparatus, for use in the hauling vehicles, boats, machinesand the like, comprising: a. a winch housing, b. a winch mechanismmounted in said winch housing and including a length of haulage wireconnectable to an article to be hauled, c. a terrain-gripping memberextending outwardly from said winch housing so as to be inclineddownwardly to the horizontal when the apparatus is in use, d. anelongated guiding member for said haulage wire and having an operativeposition in which it extends from said winch housing on one side of theterrain-gripping member so as to be capable of being arranged generallyhorizontally, e. an elongated steadying member having an operativeposition in which it extends from said winch housing on the side thereofremote from that from which said wire guiding member extends so as to beengageable with the terrain on which the apparatus is supported when inuse, and f. respective pivotal connecting means whereby said wireguiding member and said steadying member are each pivotally connected tosaid winch housing on respective sides of the position at which saidterrain gripping member is connected to said winch housing and said wireguiding member and said steadying member are swung relative to saidwinch housing between said respective operative positions and respectiveinoperative positions in which said members extend in superimposedparallel relationship with said terrain gripping member disposedtherebetween.
 2. Hauling apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidwinch housing includes an extension with which said terrain grippingmember is releasably assembled, means being provided for locking saidterrain-gripping member in any of a plurality of positions along thelength of said extension.
 3. Hauling apparatus as claimed in claim 2wherein said terrain gripping member is of delta shape for penetratingsoft ground.
 4. Hauling apparatus as claimed in claim 3 including afurther terrain-gripping member affording teeth for gripping hardterrain, both of said terrain gripping members being capable of assemblysimultaneously with said extension so that when said wire guiding memberand said steadying member are each in their inoperative position both ofsaid terrain gripping members can be disposed therebetween.
 5. Haulingapparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said wire-guiding membercomprises: a. an elongated arm carried by one of said pivotal connectingmeans, b. a pulley housing disposed at an end of said arm remote fromsaid winch housing, c. two axles mounted in said pulley housingsubstantially parallel to each other, one of said axles also pivotallysupporting said pulley housing from said arm, and d. respective pulleywheels rotatably supported by said axles.